A wireless sensor network based closed-loop system for subsurface contaminant plume monitoring

A closed-loop contaminant plume monitoring system is being developed that integrates wireless sensor network based monitoring with numerical models for subsurface plumes. The system is based on a novel virtual sensor network architecture that supports the formation, usage, adaptation, and maintenance of dynamic subsets of nodes. This automated monitoring system is intended to capture transient plumes to assess the source, track plumes in real-time, and predict future plumes behavior using numerical models that can be continuously re-calibrated by sensor data. This paper presents recent progress made in (1) developing a proof-of-concept study using a porous media test bed with sensors deployed; and (2) developing distributed algorithms for virtual sensor networking.